The Cardinals

Saturday, March 18

2 pm
Blog Post 6

The Spring weather came and went all week. It was difficult keeping up with the changing weather. One day there could be a snow storm, the next could be warm with no signs of the snow from the previous day. It was unpredictable, inconsistent, and confusing. It was confusing for me, but also must have been confusing for the animals in my backyard as well.

Today, two Cardinals fly around my backyard. They are chirping and jumping from branch to branch. They’ve set themselves up in my tree, as if they were putting on a show. Their deep red feathers were bright against the gray skies. I wonder how they would have appeared, perched on those branches right after the snow that hit the day before. I wonder about where they came from, where they were just yesterday. I wonder why they decide to come to my yard when it begins to warm again.

Just yesterday, my yard was covered in a fresh layer of powdery snow. It came out of nowhere in the evening, falling heavy and fast. The tree branches had thick coatings of powder along their tops. The grass and mulch turned white, hidden except for the areas where my dog had run through. Everything blended together, a fresh white canvas. I can only imagine how these birds would have looked perched on the same branches just a day earlier. Their red and black feathers burning against their backdrop. I think of the way their feet would be curled around the branches, leaving an indent in the piles of snow. I can only imagine this because they were not there.

They are never there in the snow. My backyard is barren in the winter. Occasionally I will see an animal or two, but it is rare. These Cardinals’ timeliness amazes me. The appear as if magic every time the weather warms. This morning, they were there to greet me when I took my dog outside at 6 am. They pretend as if nothing has changed, as if they have been hanging out on this tree the whole time. But I know they weren’t. I know because I am here every day. I look at the tree every time I come home, every time I take my dog outside, even through the window in my bathroom as a brush my teeth. I need to know where they go. How close they are. How they get here so quickly.

I don’t know how they decided on the tree in my backyard. The old tenant here was a gardener and close with nature. I wonder if she used to hang feeders from trees here. Are they waiting for me the set out seeds for them? I never did before and I don’t know that I will now. They always attract the squirrels and they drive my dog crazy. I wonder how long they will stick around with me, if they will learn that someone new lives here. Will they stay for the summer again? I hope they do.